Aaromale
by ondragaforever
Summary: In New York,Noah Mayer chances upon his former boyfriend,Luke Snyder, and Reid Oliver,the man who opened his eyes and darkened his world.
1. PrologueThey are a couple

"Great job, everybody, you can take off now," Noah Mayer shouted ,and no sooner were the words out of his mouth that Harry came and stood before him, his face mere inches away , and grinning in a way only he could.

"Nice job, Harry, but smile like that when the camera is rolling, and you're out of the job," Noah stated, while backing off and leaning against the railing of Brooklyn Bridge.

"What's wrong with my smile?"

"Absolutely nothing, but you're supposed to be dealing with the pangs of failed love, and smiling like you won an Oscar might not get that particular message across."

"You're a right little ray of sunshine, Noah"

"Thanks, honey"

"Want a ride to the hotel?"

"No thanks, I'm gonna walk"

Harry's smile, if possible, widened "Gonna pick up a hot man, huh? Okay, see you tomorrow"

Noah sighed. Harry, though the closest thing to a best friend he had in the two years that

Los Angeles was his home, would never understand that Noah was not interested in picking up any man just for a quickie.

"Hey, don't tear that mouth there .I'll meet you at the lobby for dinner at eight"

He turned his gaze from Harry's retreating back, to the skyline punctuated by skyscrapers. In a few hours, the sun would go down and the windows of the towers would twinkle like little yellow stars. This was Noah's favourite part of the day, ever since they began shooting for a particular snippet of his movie in the streets of New York.

Turning his eyes to the crowd thronging the bridge, he began people watching, his next favourite activity. Ruing and chuckling amusedly at how pathetic his life had become, his eyes fell upon a couple wading through the size able swarm of people. They were both men, and the way they spoke and smiled at each other and the obvious camaraderie they shared immediately suggested to Noah that they were more than just friends. Or perhaps it was just the fact that one of them had his arm around the other. Or that the owner of the arm wore a surgeon's coat and a smug expression that could only belong on one face.

Or that the guy smiling up at him, wearing a striped T-shirt, was the most beautiful guy Noah had ever seen.

Yes, Noah determined, they are a couple, because they were Dr. Reid Oliver, smart-ass neurosurgeon and stealer of boyfriends, and Luke Snyder, the love of Noah's life.


	2. Central Park

"_So call me as soon as you reach LA…have a safe flight", Luke whispered into his ear, as Noah held him close._

_Noah nodded, his throat too constricted to speak, and let go of Luke. The hug somehow didn't feel right for him, not when Luke only wanted him as a friend, and not when Noah couldn't make his stupid heart strong enough to accept the fact that the only slot left for Noah in Luke's life anymore was that of a friend._

_Friends. Yeah. Luke wanted to be Noah's _friend._ After three years of being his everything, Luke wanted Noah to move on, to not feel a pang of jealousy so sharp whenever he saw Luke with Reid, to smile and say thanks to the good doctor for saving his life._

_Try as he might, Noah couldn't do that. Not move on from Luke._

_So here he was, at the airport, his boarding pass and passport clutched tightly in one hand, and Luke's hand in the other, unwilling to let go of anyone of them, but knowing that for the sake of his sanity and his bleeding heart, he had to._

"_So I'll see you around, Luke. Take care"_

_He let go._

"_No-_

_But Noah's back was already turned, and he willed himself not to look back._

There he stood now; facing the other two, at one vertex of the triangle, his eyes locked with Luke's amber ones. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just make out Oliver's eyes flitting back and forth from him to Luke, his mouth curled up into something like a cross between a sneer and a smirk. The result was that he looked pretty comical, and Noah had to suppress a smile

"He is jealous", Noah thought, a smirk adorning his own face now, as he turned to give Reid a little once-over before fixing his eyes back on Luke. He took a deep breath.

"Luke"

"Noah"

"So I take it your sight hasn't been giving you any trouble? No pain, irritation, whatsoever?

"Reid"-Luke began.

Reid Oliver's smirk-sneer cross turned into a full-blown smile as he surveyed Noah once again.

"All right, I'm going home Luke, don't be out too late. And see you around, Mayer." Reid said, pulling Luke into a tight hug. He then slowly walked away from them, his smirk, almost like armor, firmly back in place.

"Bye Reid."

Noah watched, with mounting anger his diminishing back sink into the crowd.

"Even after all this while, that guy thinks he's better than me", he seethed. He couldn't help that old flare of jealousy slowly starting its way in a distant corner of his being, something which he'd been wrong to assume that Reid felt. Far from being jealous, he was so secure and sure that he'd left his boyfriend alone with his ex.

Which was not what Noah had expected at all.

Central Park was easily New York's best attraction for Noah. He loved the vibrancy and the sheer life about the place, filled with couples, little children and friends catching up with one another.

So when Luke suggested that they go somewhere to catch up, Central Park was what had sprung to the forefront of Noah's mind.

He wondered if he should regret the decision.

Sitting in one of the many benches lining the perimeter of the park, they had not spoken much, just stealing occasional glances at each other. It was weird for Noah, though he supposed it must be even more so for Luke, who generally couldn't shut up even if his life depended upon it.

Beautiful, vivacious, chatty Luke. He couldn't believe he was sitting next to him after all this time.

"So what brings you here, Noah?" Luke asked, a small smile tweaking his bow shaped lips.

Breaking from his stupor, Noah muttered, "Um, I'm shooting here for my movie actually"

Luke's smile broadened."Noah, that's great. How long are you staying?"

We'll be here for a couple more days, and then back to LA."

Noah cleared his throat. "So, what brings you here? You're, um- are you visiting or something? When did he move here?"

Luke looked at him. "We moved here about an year back."

"We?"

"That's right. I moved out of the farm and came out here with Reid. I'm with The New York Times now, book critic and special correspondent."

Holy crap.

"You should come to our place, if you have the time, I mean."

Yeah right.

As if sensing what had been going on within his mind, Luke fell silent.

"So how's everyone back home?" Noah asked, even though he'd spoken with Lily on the phone only the previous week.

"Like you don't know. Last I heard, I'm the only Snyder with whom you have no correspondence", Luke said sharply. He seemed to regain some of his character back with the retort.

"Luke..I", Noah god. This was going so well in the wrong direction. He didn't think Luke would understand if he tried to explain. His throat constricted again.

"Noah, I'm sorry….it's okay, All right? Let's just forget about this, there's no point in addressing this", Luke said.

Noah breathed again.

"Fine by me"

Luke smiled, and cocked his head to one side, openly scrutinizing Noah. It was making him feel weird again.

"What"?

"California's been good to you, look…,"there was that head tilt again, "even better than I remember."

"Thanks, Luke"

"You can return the compliment too, you know"

Noah laughed, the tension in his body easing up a , he had forgot how easily Luke could make him crack up.

"Well then-Luke, New York's been good to you. You look even better than I remember."

Luke laughed even harder.

Noah smiled again, "No, really, you really do look good.I mean it."

Luke smiled that mischievous smile again, and poked him slightly in the ribs.

"So how about it, Mayer? Got any hotshot guy who has swept you off your feet yet?" he asked. "There must be," Luke added, on a more serious note, "a guy like you…and it's been over two years…,"Luke trailed off.

There. The pink elephant had finally been addressed.

"There is, Luke.I have found the guy."


	3. Moving on

"I have found the guy"

The words came out of his mouth with such resolve and conviction that Luke felt stunned for a second.

"Wow", the voice inside his mind raced. Not that he'd ever doubted Noah would find someone; he was just way too good a guy for that, but he couldn't help the surprise and hurt which rose within him at the thought.

Noah had moved on from him.

"Not like you didn't know it would happen someday, maybe a part of you was just hoping he wouldn't", the traitorous voice inside his head claimed.

Luke tried to shut the voice up.

And so, while constantly waging an internal battle with himself, he rearranged his features to look as casual as possible, also suddenly realizing that Noah was talking.

"You know, when you moved on with Reid…and I didn't understand why at the time, I was angry, furious. When I came here, I was a mess, I was just …you know, wandering about like a lost puppy. But then after a while…it became all right after I met him."

Luke smiled a little. "You must feel happy for Noah", he told himself. "Wasn't this what you wanted for him, when he moved away? Didn't you once wish you both could just move on?"

Yes. And wasn't that what love was supposed to be about anyway? Wanting your loved ones to find true and unadulterated happiness, irrespective of the source of it?

"Tell me about him, Noah. Tell me all about him."

And there he was yet again, asking another question and wearing a smile which didn't quite make it to his heart.

Noah thought Luke looked weird, like maybe his smile looked like it was tinged with the slightest amount of sadness, and it didn't look like the classic Luke Snyder special-the full blown smile which had once melted Noah into a swishing puddle of mush every time he was lucky enough to be at its receiving end.

Or maybe, it was just a trick of the light. Or after two years, he had just become incapable of reading Luke anymore.

Trepidation was hence high in Noah's voice and mind when he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"A-anything. Just tell me. Describe him, Noah."

Noah cleared his throat.

"He's…a great guy. Smart, funny, very beautiful. He's tall, a bit shorter than me, though. It's perfect…the way our bodies fit together, like a jigsaw, you know?"

That look was still there, undisturbed on Luke's face.

_What are you thinking, Luke? I can't read you._

"I can look at him for hours together and still not tire of it. Blond hair, kind of longish, a bit wavy. His eyes…oh god, his eyes. I've never seen eyes that convey so much, it's like I can predict his mood just by looking into them. Slim, muscular, not overtly though. He dresses pretty simple most of the time. He…he has a stripe fetish."

And then suddenly, Noah found that he could read Luke again. And he could see only one thing in his eyes, which alighted like a spark, _understanding_.

Oh My God.

Luke didn't really like being dumbfounded. But…_oh Noah._

Numbly, he nodded.

"He has a way with words…he's a writer. Quite a good one at that. He hates watching old movies, he's hopeless at that." Noah laughed before continuing. "We used to joke about how he could write the screenplays for my movies. It was like we fit, in every way that mattered."

In the midst of his haziness, Luke could discern that Noah's voice held a slight tremble; the way it did whenever he was scared, or just bitterly sad.

"He's very passionate, very loyal and assertive. He'd do anything; go to any extent for the sake of his loved ones. He isn't afraid to be who he is, and is very open about his beliefs and thoughts. What he is….has made me who I am today. He loves me a lot. He called me the love of his life."

_Noah._

"I've kissed him, held him, made love to him. We even lived together for a while. After you left me, I…I moved on to him."

"His name is Luke….Luke."

*****************************************

"But I'm not in his life anymore. H-he thought that I've stopped caring for him, and he just … he's gone. He fell in love with another guy, and I'm not him. But somehow, he's still the one in my life."

Feeling choked, he breathed out, "First love, Luke….it's not that easy to let go."

Noah was sure he was going to start crying pretty soon. He'd told Luke what he wanted, and far from feeling relief, he felt like he was letting go, pouring all these feelings into Luke.

_Because you know it's over, and it's time to admit it to yourself. You're still Noah, you still love Luke, and he's long gone. Simple as that._

Therefore, before Luke could sense the emotional puddle that he'd become, Noah got up, intending to leave, and to never look back, not this time. Walking away, he reasoned that, maybe someday, Luke would indeed come back to him.

Just like he'd reasoned every night for the past two years.


	4. The Dream

Noah had barely taken a few steps away from the bench, partially blinded by tears which he willed himself to swallow, edged along by the locked and long forgotten part of his mind still haunted by the ghost of the Colonel, when Luke's tiny whisper made him freeze.

"I'm not with Reid, Noah"

It was ironic perhaps, that of all the things that had transpired between them that night, it was this piece of news which finally made the tears flow freely.

Luke watched Noah turn around slowly, the tears flowing down the man's face glinting like diamonds in the light from the streetlamps. He wanted them to stop, yet their presence on the handsome face was oddly comforting, like they were in sync with all the anguish and longing Luke had carried within him ever since their breakup. So he did the one thing that felt right, and kept talking.

"It wasn't sudden, you know. After you left, it all just began land sliding. I could only think about you, compare Reid to you, wonder if you were thinking about me, going as crazy as me," he said, laughing feebly.

"And I didn't want that, you know? Because…Noah, I wanted to move on. I wanted to forget all the ill-will we ever had between us and just …I don't know, maybe be friends. I _needed_ that. And Reid was someone I knew I could love, and he was there. I _do_ love him. But…he knew. And then, we broke up. No fights, no hard feelings. And now, he's here with me, in New York."

Looking straight at Noah, he answered the question that he knew wanted to be out of Noah's mouth.

"He's not you, Noah."

The words out of Luke's mouth seemed surreal, and hence even though he could see the lips moving and know they had been spoken, it felt like it was the part of him that had been pining hopelessly to hear those very words that had uttered the healing words.

He's not you.

He's not you.

Noah watched, entranced, as Luke continued speaking, his lips framing all the words that Noah desperately wanted to hear.

"I moved in with him, and he's been like my anchor, keeping me steady all these years I've not been with 's been a wonderful friend to me. Life's different here, you know. There are no farms, no horses, no barn chores, and I actually have a real job. But there's not a moment when you're not here with me, Noah. It's only you, for me. No one else. Not even close," he said, locking him with his brilliant gaze.

"You're right….first love, it doesn't go away all that easily."

This was a dream.

"I thought you would just move on sooner or later, you know; just keep going away from me. I didn't think that you too would...that's why I didn't call you, talk to you…do anything. Oh God, Oh God, I was so wrong, I'm so so sorry, Noah," Luke stuttered, his voice choking.

And soon, Noah would wake up alone in his bed in his hotel room; his body drenched with sweat, his face covered with tears, with no one to wipe it away, no _Luke_ to kiss it all away. Yes, he would be waking up soon.

And then the dream stopped, and Noah woke up.

In the years to come, Luke would always look back at this moment like flipping through a photograph album; every instant captured flawlessly right down to the last frame. Noah, his tears still so fresh; still shining on his face, striding towards him, and scooting down in front of him, right in between his knees.

Noah, reaching a shaking hand to brush away the stray tears leaking from Luke's eyes, and then reaching out to take his hands, gripping them firmly between his own, as if he was never going to let go.

Noah smiling, grinning crookedly like a maniac, looking like an angel, as he swept Luke off his feet, much like the very first time they had laid eyes on one another.

Noah holding him tightly, too tightly if fact, as if he'd been waiting for this moment all his life, and was afraid that Luke would disappear.

And then that perfect moment, when Noah leaned in, and Luke, a little startled; followed suit, molding their lips together in a tender, sweet, warm kiss that was perfect, exactly like their first one had been.

Nothing was wrong.

Noah, Noah, Noah. Noah Mayer. _His_ Noah. Noah Mayer was his once again.

"Reid kept going on about how we would jump on each other the moment we met," Luke said later, as they walked in the park slowly, their arms around each other's backs.

"Hmmm…maybe I should start giving the doctor more credit. Looks like he does have brains, after all"

"You might grow to like him, you know. He's not all that he seems"

"I know", Noah replied, pressing a kiss into Luke's hair, savoring the lingering sweet smell, locking it away in his memory.

Luke's eyes widened suddenly, his smile growing mischievous.

"Bubby"

Twinkling blue eyes met hazel.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to call you that. Remember I used to? Bubby"

And then Noah pounced on him; locking Luke in his arms, planting wet kisses on whatever patch of skin he could reach. He was never letting this man go. Not again.

Luke turned in his grip, planting little, warm kisses on Noah's face, both of them laughing giddily, the sound almost lyrical in the night air. They watched as people in the park laughed; faces flushed pink. Some were playing, a stray Frisbee here, a blue ball there. An old couple walking slowly, their arms linked; twinkling, wise eyes trained only on one another. A group of street dancers performing; bowing and skipping, leaping high into the air, clapping their hands to the beat of the rhythm. The entire night seemed to be celebrating,

All the while, they were talking to each other, holding hands, kissing, silently begging the other to never let go;and reacquainting with each other, so that no matter how many they were separated, they would be back together; like the two poles of a magnet. Two sides of the same coin.

And so it was that Luke and Noah, in their book, had their happy ending that night.


	5. Epilogue:Aaromale

Author Notes

Allright, guys. Here it is. The last chapter of Aaromale. At this point, I'm just hoping none of you are too put off by the surprise I have in store for you.

Without much ado,here's the epilogue.

Enjoy!

And sorry I didn't tell u this before, but italics represent flashback!

Noah stared at the screen of the netbook balanced precariously on his lap. In the inky blackness that filled the bedroom, the light from the tiny laptop seemed to give a ghostly hue to Luke's face, who was currently dozing on the bed with his head on Noah's lap. Smiling slightly, he turned off the laptop, and blanched as the Windows shutdown music blasted off the tiny speakers and filled the air. Swearing softly, he glanced at the now awake and extremely shell-shocked Luke Snyder.

"Sorry, I forgot to turn down the volume before I pulled the earphones off," he said, looking apologetically at his boyfriend, who had sat up, and was glaring at him. With sleepy eyes and his hair sticking up in all directions along with his pink pouty lips, he looked too cute for Noah to resist, who leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his temple, before capturing his lips in a warm kiss. Sighing, he felt Luke give in to the kiss.

"Mmmm…what were you doing up anyway? Last time I looked…ah…you w-were sleeping," Luke murmured between kisses. "And is that my net book? What are you doing with my baby?"

"I woke up, and couldn't go back to sleep. Your baby was nearby, so I thought I'd play with her."

Luke left out a tiny moan as Noah pressed kisses to his neck. "What kind of a guy meddles on the computer at one'o clock at night?

"What kind of a guy calls himself the most beautiful guy in the world?"

Luke drew back and looked into Noah's eyes with confusion clearly etched on to his face.

"What?" His gaze fell on the Laptop, lying discarded on the bed. Realization dawned on him as he let out a small embarrassed laugh.

"Oh," he said, throwing a sheepish glance at Noah. "You read that story."

"I didn't mean to, you know. It was just there on the desktop, titled 'Aaromale'. I was curious, so I read it. What is that title, by the way?"

"It means 'My beloved'. Some Indian word. Alli told me. I thought it sounded nice," Luke shrugged.

Noah looked at Luke with an unreadable expression in his blue eyes, which looked like identical twinkling orbs in the darkness. "You know that's not quite the way things panned out," he said softly.

"I know, bubby. I was there."

Noah nodded silently, and looked down into his lap. "When exactly did you write this, anyway?" he asked.

"I don't remember exactly…but sometime after Reid's death," he whispered.

Noah looked up. Even after all these years, Luke still got that strange look on his face whenever someone mentioned Reid. That look which Noah deciphered to mean love, tinged with varying amounts of sadness, shock and regret. All those years back, maybe, it would have caused him jealousy, but now he knew better.

"I didn't mean to write it, you know. I was supposed to be writing a story for 'The Oakdale Gazette'. And I came up with this. I was thinking about you, so I guess I wrote it. And then I just changed the names and sent it to the paper." Luke shrugged again. "They liked it."

"I like it too." Noah smiled. "But Luke…what about Reid?"

"What about him, Noah? What about him? I don't think he would have minded being alive, do you?" Luke said, smiling slightly, wistfully.

"No, I mean…" Noah swallowed. It had been so long since either of them spoke about this. "I thought you were in love with Reid at that time. So I'm just surprised your thoughts came out this way, that's all"

Luke smiled again, that pensive look still on his face.

"Then why couldn't I stop thinking about you even then, Noah? I was supposed to be grieving, and in a way, I was. I did love Reid, and he was there for me, when you couldn't be. I'll always regret his death, Noah. But, I also meant what I wrote. Reid is not you. He never could be. Even back then, when I was with him, I was thinking about you. Wondering if we'd get another chance. And then I chastened myself. I convinced myself that we'd never make it, that we weren't meant to last, and that Reid was it for me. I guess I even succeeded a bit, before Reid too went away and left me all alone. You weren't there, and so wasn't Reid."

Noah silently took Luke's hand and tugged. He kept pulling him until Luke was settled between his legs, his back pressed to Noah's chest. Wrapping his arms around Luke, he intertwined their fingers.

Luke smiled and relaxed a little at the intimate gesture. He took a deep breath and made to continue. In the four years they'd been back together, they'd never had a conversation like this. Not about Reid. Though he'd been present in both their minds, his memory inducing a cocktail of changeable emotions, they'd never laid them out in the open to each other. Luke immediately regretted that. He wanted to share everything with Noah, however mundane or serious. So he ploughed on.

"Reid's death…it broke me, Noah. I was never quite all right after that. But then again, I was missing you. I think that was about the time I wrote this." He took another deep breath. "Noah, I want you to know…even though I never said it at the time….I never stopped loving you. Not for one second. So don't you ever go doubting that."

Noah kissed the top of Luke's head.

"I know, baby. I know."

Their intertwined fingers played with one another, the matching rings glinting in the darkness, making faint metallic sounds as they touched.

"Bubby, I love you."

"Same here."

The whispered words matched the inscriptions on the rings.

_Tears poured down Luke's cheeks as he looked at the computer screen, his back resting against an old tree, down by Snyder Pond. If only things could have gone the way he'd imagined for himself in this story. It would have been better for everybody._

_For him._

_For Noah._

_And for Reid. _

_Reid. Luke looked out at the still waters of the pond, the place where he'd scattered Reid's ashes. He silently said goodbye, acknowledging the fact that he'd never look at this place the same way again. Because Snyder Farm would never again be his home. Not anymore._

_Because it was time to do what he wanted. What would heal his heart again. It was time to get his life back on track._

_That night, Luke boarded a flight to Los Angeles._


End file.
